Community Guidelines
الإصدار 0.1 · سارٍ 2 يونيو 2026
The values, expectations, and rules of conduct that define the Dubai community for buyers, sellers, brokers, and agencies.
1. Our Community Values
Dubai is a marketplace built on human relationships. Whether you are a first-time buyer searching for your dream home, an experienced broker managing a portfolio of listings, a job-seeker exploring new opportunities, or a seller offering everyday goods, you are part of a community that spans nationalities, languages, and backgrounds.
We believe a marketplace works best when everyone in it — buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants, employers and candidates — can interact with confidence, clarity, and mutual respect. To make that possible, we have established these Community Guidelines ("Guidelines") to describe the values we expect all members of the Dubai community to share and the specific behaviors we expect of them.
The four pillars of our community are:
- Trust: Honest listings, accurate information, transparent dealings. The market functions when buyers can trust what sellers publish, and when sellers can trust that their counterparts will engage in good faith.
- Respect: Treating every person on the platform with dignity, regardless of their background, nationality, religion, language, or any other characteristic.
- Transparency: Being clear about who you are, what you are offering, and what your terms are. No hidden fees, phantom listings, or misleading representations.
- Multilingual welcome: Dubai is home to over 200 nationalities. Dubai is designed to serve Arabic, English, and Russian speakers natively, and we welcome users in any language. We ask all members to extend the same welcome to others.
These Guidelines are incorporated into our Terms of Service (/terms) and Acceptable Use Policy (/policies/aup). More specific rules about content are in the AUP; these Guidelines focus on the spirit and culture of how we expect people to interact.
2. Respect Across Cultures
The UAE is a society built on the meeting of cultures. Federal Decree-Law No. 2 of 2015 on Combating Discrimination and Hatred and the UAE's general legal framework both reflect a commitment to tolerance and coexistence. Dubai is an expression of that same commitment.
We ask every community member to:
- Communicate in a way that is civil, considerate, and appropriate to a professional marketplace;
- Avoid language or imagery that could be perceived as offensive, dismissive, or disrespectful toward any nationality, ethnicity, religion, or cultural practice;
- Be mindful that humour, idiom, and cultural norms vary significantly across nationalities; what is innocuous in one context may cause real offence in another. When in doubt, opt for clarity and professionalism;
- Observe UAE social norms when publishing listing photographs of properties — images should not show content that is inappropriate in a conservative public-facing context;
- Respect religious observances, including prayer times and Ramadan, when scheduling appointments or communicating with counterparts.
These expectations apply to all content visible on the platform and to all private communications conducted through the platform's messaging system.
3. Listings: Accuracy, Fairness, and Non-Discrimination
Every listing on Dubai is a representation made to the public. Members who post listings carry responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of everything they publish.
Accuracy: All facts stated in a listing — price, location, size, condition, included amenities, and any other material attribute — must be true and current. Listings must not misrepresent any material detail. If a fact changes after publication, the listing must be updated promptly.
Fairness: Pricing should reflect genuine market intent. Artificially low prices used to attract enquiries, with the intent to switch buyers to a higher-priced alternative, are prohibited. Promotional or limited-time prices must be clearly identified as such, with the end date stated.
Non-discrimination: Listings must not include language that discriminates against, excludes, or discourages enquiries from any person based on race, religion, nationality, gender, marital status, disability, or other characteristics protected under UAE federal law. Examples of prohibited language include nationality-based restrictions on who may purchase, rent, or apply for a role that are not required by applicable law. Brokers and employers who believe certain restrictions are legally mandated should seek independent legal advice before including them in a listing.
4. Messaging: Communication Standards
The Dubai messaging system exists to facilitate genuine business conversations between buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants, and employers and candidates. We expect all users to:
- Respond in a timely manner: Not responding to genuine enquiries wastes the time of the party enquiring and reflects poorly on the Dubai community as a whole. We recommend acknowledging messages within 24 hours during business days.
- Be honest and clear: Do not make representations in messages that you know to be false. Do not promise what you cannot deliver. If circumstances change, communicate proactively.
- Respect boundaries: If another user has communicated that they are no longer interested in a listing or a transaction, do not continue to contact them. Persistent contact after a clear expression of disinterest constitutes harassment.
- Protect privacy: Do not share personal information received during a conversation (including names, phone numbers, identity documents, or financial details) with third parties, or use it for any purpose other than the transaction in hand.
- Avoid spam: Do not use the messaging system to distribute unsolicited advertising, promotional offers unrelated to the current transaction, or chain messages of any kind.
5. Reviews: Honesty and Integrity
Reviews and ratings are one of the most important trust signals on the platform. Buyers and tenants rely on them when choosing whom to transact with; brokers and sellers rely on them to demonstrate their track record. That reliance only works if reviews are genuine.
Post reviews based on your personal experience: A review must reflect your own direct experience of the transaction, service, or interaction you are reviewing. It must not be composed by, or submitted on behalf of, someone who did not have that experience.
Do not post fake or paid reviews: Submitting, soliciting, purchasing, or arranging for the submission of reviews that do not reflect genuine experience is strictly prohibited. This includes asking friends, family members, or employees to post positive reviews, offering incentives (discounts, gifts, or other benefits) in exchange for reviews, and using any service that promises to generate or remove reviews artificially.
Do not use reviews as a weapon: Reviews must not be used as a tool of harassment, to settle personal disputes unrelated to the transaction, or to coerce a counterparty into a particular outcome (for example, threatening to post a negative review unless a refund is given). Reviews must address the transaction and the relevant professional conduct, not personal characteristics.
No competitor reviews: You must not review a competitor's service for the purpose of disadvantaging them rather than informing other users.
Respond constructively: Sellers, brokers, and agencies have the right to respond publicly to reviews. Responses should be professional, factual, and constructive. Aggressive, threatening, or defamatory responses will be removed.
6. Brokers and Agencies: Extra Responsibilities
Brokers and real estate agencies are trusted intermediaries on the platform. The Dubai Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) imposes professional obligations on licensed brokers that exist independently of Dubai's Guidelines. As RERA-regulated professionals using the Service, brokers and agencies are held to a higher standard.
Truthful representation: All details in a listing — including the permit number, property specifications, pricing structure, and any incentives — must be accurate. Phantom listings (properties listed that are not genuinely available) are strictly prohibited and may be reported to RERA.
Honour appointments: If you agree to show a property or meet a client at a specific time, you are expected to honour that commitment or to give reasonable advance notice if your plans change. Repeated failure to honour appointments is tracked and may affect listing visibility.
Protect client confidentiality: Information shared with you by clients in the course of a transaction (including their identity, financial position, and personal circumstances) must be kept strictly confidential and used only for the purpose for which it was shared. It must not be disclosed to third parties without the client's consent, except where required by law.
Comply with RERA standards: Brokers must maintain current RERA certification and adhere to the RERA Code of Ethics. Dubai may require brokers to upload evidence of current certification and may suspend listings or accounts where certification has lapsed.
Fee transparency: Any commission, brokerage fee, agency fee, or other financial charge must be clearly disclosed to the relevant party before the transaction is concluded. Hidden fees or commissions charged to both buyer and seller without the knowledge of either party are prohibited.
7. Mediation
When a dispute arises between users — for example, over a property condition, a transaction that did not complete as agreed, or a review that is disputed — we encourage parties to resolve the matter directly in the first instance, through honest and respectful communication.
Where direct resolution has been attempted and failed, Dubai may, at its discretion, offer a mediation facilitation service. This involves Dubai staff reviewing the available communications and evidence and offering a non-binding recommendation. Parties are free to accept or reject any such recommendation.
Dubai is not an arbitrator. Our mediation facilitation is entirely voluntary, informal, and non-binding. It does not constitute arbitration, and Dubai's recommendations do not have legal force. Parties who require a binding resolution should seek formal arbitration or legal proceedings in the appropriate forum as described in our Terms of Service.
8. Reporting Violations
If you observe conduct or content that you believe violates these Guidelines, our Acceptable Use Policy, or any other community standard, you can report it:
- Using the Report button visible on every listing, profile, and message thread, which will direct you to /report;
- By emailing our Trust & Safety team at trust@example.com.
We review all reports in confidence. Where our investigation confirms a violation, we will take appropriate action without disclosing the identity of the reporter to the reported party.
We appreciate community members who help us maintain a safe, fair, and respectful marketplace.
9. Enforcement
Violations of these Guidelines are handled in accordance with the graduated enforcement framework described in our Acceptable Use Policy at /policies/aup: warnings, content removal, account suspension, permanent bans, and where applicable, referrals to UAE law-enforcement authorities. The severity of the response is calibrated to the severity and frequency of the violation.
We aim to enforce these Guidelines consistently, but our Trust & Safety team retains discretion to respond proportionately to the circumstances of each individual case.